


Ghosts That We Knew

by seekrest



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Comicverse), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man (Video Game 2018), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Adult Peter Parker, Angst, Biological Dad AU, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Canon Compliant, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliant, Other: See Story Notes, Peter Parker is a Good Dad, Protective Michelle Jones, Protective Peter Parker, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, With A Twist, the most biodad AU to ever AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2020-11-15 11:50:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20865743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekrest/pseuds/seekrest
Summary: Peter has an engineering degree from MIT, a Master’s from Columbia, and he can’t quite put two and two together at the package in front of him.It’s not until he brings the papers up, when a small photograph falls out from them that Peter’s mind starts snapping the pieces together, connecting the dots even as his stomach drops.A small, dark-haired child smiles up at him, brown eyes gleaming. Peter could only guess the kid was a year old, maybe two, Peter had little experience with kids he has no idea - but it’s when he turns the photograph over that the final puzzle piece snaps into place."His name is Anthony, but I call him Tony.He’s yours."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This originally started as a prompt for my 'Biological Dad AU' IronDad Bingo square. I've never been a huge fan of biodad AUs and wrote it to challenge myself. 
> 
> And then THIS story came to mind. 
> 
> Special thanks to [blondsak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blondsak/works) for whom this story would not exist had it not been for her screaming (and for listening to me talk about it for ages).
> 
> This story is set in that same universe, taking that story and expanding it into... something very different. 
> 
> See end notes for more details.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

  
_You saw my pain, washed out in the rain_   
_Broken glass, saw the blood run from my veins_   
_But you saw no fault, no cracks in my heart_   
_And you knelt beside my hope torn apart_

* * *

“Tony?”

Peter opened the door to Tony’s bedroom, frowning seeing it empty. He could hear Michelle in the kitchen, Peter closing his eyes and as he tried to focus on where Tony could be.

He hears it, the steady heartbeat a few floors down - in the basement, Peter could guess.

Peter sighed, closing Tony’s door. He should’ve anticipated that’s where he would be.

Peter quietly opens the door, gingerly stepping down the stairs. Their brownstone was old, creaky and freezing in the winter - but it was home, the home he and Michelle had strived so hard to make for themselves, for Tony.

As Peter makes his way down the stairs, eyes adjusting to the darkness and dimly lit room, he thinks of how he should’ve expected that Tony would be down here - today of all days.

Peter stops, seeing Tony’s small shoulders hunched over a box - kneeling over it like Peter knew he would be.

“Hey kiddo.”

“Hi.” Tony’s voice sounds small, like Peter remembers it being when he was younger - back when all it took for Peter to make the world safer was a kiss on the cheek.

But Tony was a teenager now, officially fifteen as of this morning, and Peter should’ve expected that Tony’s mind would go straight to the one who wasn’t here.

“You mind if I sit with you?”

Tony doesn’t turn around but shakes his head, Peter coming up beside him - sitting cross-legged as he searches Tony’s face.

He can see the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw was so firmly set as Tony faced forward, a jawline that Peter recognized from in the mirror, one that all Parker men had. 

Peter sees the way Tony’s eyebrows are furrowed, trying to keep his eyes focused on the picture in front of him instead of meeting Peter’s gaze. It isn’t until Peter brings a hand to his shoulder that Tony finally turns to look at him, seeing the tears threatening to break. 

“I’m--”

"It’s okay, kiddo.”

Tony blinks back the tears, setting the picture down as he takes a shaky breath. “Where’s mom?”

Peter pauses before understanding. “Upstairs in the kitchen.” Tony nods, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve. 

“I didn’t want, I didn’t want her to see---”

“She’d understand, Tony.” 

“_ No. _” Tony’s voice wavers but Peter can sense the firmness in it, saying nothing as Tony shakes his head before turning to Peter. 

“Please don’t tell her.”

Peter sighs, seeing the pleading in Tony’s eyes before slowly nodding. Tony seems to release some of the tension in his shoulders, Peter opening up his arms - beckoning him into a hug. It’s a gamble, Peter knows Tony had been trying to exert his independence lately and the easy affection that they’d always had was something Peter wondered how long they’d be able to hold on to. 

But Tony - as he always did - surprised Peter, rushing forward as Peter wrapped his arms around him, Tony burrowing his head into Peter’s chest. 

Peter held Tony as tightly as he could, knowing from the way his heartbeat was hammering against his chest that he was still just seconds away from bursting out into tears. Peter glances down to the picture Tony had held before closing his eyes.

It was a picture of Felicia, as he knew it would be - one of the only ones Peter had ever been able to find of Tony’s biological mother, cradling him just moments after he was born.

As Peter ran his fingers through his son’s hair, holding him tighter - he thanked the universe that even if he knew Tony felt a hurt so deep that he couldn’t explain it, that even if Peter had missed being there that day - that he could be there for his son now, thinking back to the day he’d found out he was a father.

* * *

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO

“Mr. Parker?” 

Peter glanced up, looking at the man in a tracksuit up and down.

“Can I… help you?” The guy shrugged, handing him a large brown envelope with a clipboard on top. Peter looked down at it and frowned. 

“What’s this?”

“Beats me, here just sign so I can go. I got a lot more deliveries to get to.” Peter made a face, grabbing a pen from his desk as he scribbled his signature on the clipboard. Guy double-checked it, nodded then went to leave. 

“Hey, you didn’t say who it was from?” 

“Read the label, man. Have a good day!” 

Peter watches as the man leaves, shaking his head as his co-worker looks back to him.

“You got served or something, Parker?”

Peter shrugs, looking back down to the large envelope in his hands. 

NELSON AND MURDOCK, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 

The name doesn’t ring a bell for Peter, ripping the envelope open and letting the contents fall into his lap.

His stomach drops, eyes widening as his co-worker leans over.

“Oh shit.” 

Mark’s voice is distant, Peter staring at the papers in front of him.

COMPLAINT FOR CUSTODY 

Peter’s feels as if he can’t breathe, Mark's comment rattling around in his head. 

_ Complaint for custody? Custody of what? From who? _

Peter has an engineering degree from MIT, a Master’s from Columbia, and he can’t quite put two and two together at the package in front of him. 

It’s not until he brings the papers up, when a small photograph falls out from them that Peter’s mind starts snapping the pieces together, connecting the dots even as his stomach drops.

A small, dark-haired child smiles up at him, brown eyes gleaming. Peter could only guess the kid was a year old, maybe two, Peter had little experience with kids he has no idea - but it’s when he turns the photograph over that the final puzzle piece snaps into place. 

_ His name is Anthony, but I call him Tony. _

_ He’s yours. _

_ \- F _

* * *

“Peter, did you stop by the store?” Peter’s head snaps up, sitting at the small dinner table in the tiny apartment that he and Michelle shared. 

“Um, sorry, MJ, I didn’t, I got---” She waves her hand, kissing him on the cheek as she rushes toward the kitchen anyway, dropping her purse on the counter. 

“It’s fine, I figured as much. You want me to call Chang’s or should I?”

Peter doesn’t answer, mind still whirring as Michelle stops, turns back to him.

“Peter?”

“Hmm?” He blinks a few times, Michelle’s eyes narrowing.

“You have that same look on your face that you get when you forgot to pay rent even after I reminded you three times.” Peter bites his lip, Michelle’s look turning from one of annoyance to concern.

“Pete? What’s wrong?” She sits down in the chair across from him, reaches her hand across the table. 

Peter squeezes her hand, building the courage to tell her something that could - that _ would _ \- change everything for them.

_ If she even wants to be a them after this. _

Peter takes the photo out of his pocket with his free hand, sliding it over to Michelle. She lets go of his hand, looking at it as she tilts her head.

“Cute kid. Whose is it?” 

Peter just stares, Michelle’s eyes widening as she turns the photograph over.

She looks back to Peter, an unreadable expression on her face. 

Peter waits, as Michelle takes a deep breath and sighs.

“Well shit.” 

* * *

She takes it a lot better than he had, all things considered.

Michelle was a problem-solver, a solution-seeker. If there was an issue with a landlord, her manager, a cashier - Michelle was the first one to step in, solve the problem before it became a huge issue. 

It’s part of the reason why she was such a damn good reporter, and one of the many reasons that Peter loved her. 

He’s still thrown by how easily she accepted this, as if this photograph and custody papers from his ex didn’t irrevocably change everything about their world - about their lives and relationship. 

It’d been a fling, a summer romance, Peter only meeting Felicia as he tried to drown his sorrows in a bar. 

Felicia was fiery and wild, passionate in a way that was similar to and yet different from Michelle. Whereas Michelle’s passion was focused, determined on her goals and ambitions - Felicia had taken life as it came, throwing herself at everyone and everything - feeling everything so vividly that it made Peter’s head spin. 

It was all passion, fire and rage in a way that Peter had never felt before - yet it was never meant to last. The heat of the summer gave way to fall, Peter’s desire for stability clashing with Felicia’s desire to keep things loose. They’d broken up a few weeks before Peter started his final year at Columbia - a month later, he’d patched things up with Michelle.

Peter had expected Michelle to be angry, to be hurt - _ something _ more than stoic acceptance. She’d double-checked the papers he’d been served, questioned aloud about a paternity test but other than that - Michelle had been nothing if not immediately supportive. 

It baffled Peter, as he pushed the shopping cart through the baby store - watching in amazement as Michelle plucked another blanket off the shelves. 

“I don’t think kids need this many blankets.”

“If he’s your son, then trust me,” Michelle locked eyes with him, setting the fourth blanket into the car, “He’ll be freezing all the time.” 

They hold each other’s gaze for a second before Michelle turns, busying herself with the list on her phone.

“MJ.”  
  
“Come on, Pete. We should head to the toy aisle before we leave. I don’t know what babies like but I figure he’s your kid so he’ll enjoy his first LEGO set or something.”

“MJ.”

“Shit, can babies even _ play _ with LEGOs? How old is he again?”

“Michelle.” She stops, sighing as Peter grabs her hand. 

“Are you okay?” 

“What do you think, Peter? Are _ you _ okay?”

Peter shakes his head, dumbfounded. “I, I don’t know what I am to be honest.” 

She bites her lip, looking into Peter’s eyes.

“You think he’s yours?”

“I… I don’t know, MJ. It’s… possible?” Peter shakes his head, eyes dancing around until it settles on some kind of nightlight. 

“How possible?”

“Felicia and I weren’t always careful, she was a lot more….” Peter trails off, Michelle seemingly understanding.

“Spontaneous?” Peter presses his lips together, inwardly kicking himself. He hated the idea of making Michelle feel she was second best, like she wasn’t as exciting or as passionate or as incredible as the blonde-haired bombshell that had just upended Peter’s entire world. 

He liked being with Felicia, at the time. She had been so different from Michelle, similar to her in the barest of ways - but it’d been just what he needed to forget how heartbroken he was, to throw himself into bed with someone who made him feel alive. 

And now, nearly two years after - right when he and Michelle had started to come into a good rhythm, right after Peter had already bought a ring - when his biggest concern had been how to figure out the most romantic and yet less cheesy way he could ask for her to spend the rest of her life with him - their entire world shifted once again. 

Felicia could be lying, he knew the smart thing to do would be to do a paternity test. But for all of Felicia’s coy smiles and snarky quips and sarcastic remarks - he can sense it in his gut that she wouldn’t do something like this. 

Their breakup had been amicable enough, Felicia being the one to break it off before Peter ever could. Peter hadn’t given much thought to Felicia afterwards, too blissfully grateful that he’d been able to make things work with Michelle. 

Felicia was a lot of things - she hadn’t told him about Anthony, had kept the truth hidden from for years - but this, giving him the biggest fuck you on the planet, only letting him know that he was a father after her death, seemed a bit too cruel - too out there, even for her. 

Michelle brings him out of his thoughts, gripping his hand tighter. 

“We’ll figure this out, Pete.” 

Peter searched for her eyes, looking for a hint of betrayal, or hurt, or anger - but all Peter saw mirrored back was a deep, unrelenting love - something Peter didn’t feel that he deserved. 

“Together.” 

Michelle smiled, the pressure of her hands making Peter feel grounded. 

“Together.” 

* * *

TWO YEARS LATER

  
“Papa!” 

“I’m coming, Tony, hold on.” Tony’s hands reach for him anyway, Michelle laughing and rolling her eyes. 

“He’s your kid, alright. Never listens to a damn thing anyone says.” Peter gives her a look, picking Tony up with ease as he wraps his tiny arms around Peter’s neck. 

“Mama said a bad word.” 

Peter opens his mouth in shock, Michelle grinning.

“Yes she did,” Peter bringing Tony around the dining room table. “What do you think we should do about that?”

Tony thinks a minute, Peter’s heart swelling at the way his little hands went to his face, a mimic of something Peter himself had done countless times before when he was young.

“Kiss attack!” Tony yells, Peter smiling as Michelle takes a step back, shaking her head.

“Oh no you don’t. Peter, Tony still has jelly over his hands.” Peter grins, taking a step forward as Tony lurches forward. 

“Mama, kiss attack!” Michelle’s face melts just a little, Peter’s heart skipping a beat at the sight as he takes another step forward. 

“Peter.” 

“MJ.”

She smiles, rolls her eyes before meeting them halfway, crashing her lips onto Peter’s, feeling the smile on her lips as Tony’s little arms wrap around them both. 

He laughs as Tony alternates between kissing Peter and Michelle’s cheek, the slobber and jelly getting over the both of them. 

As Michelle just laughs, taking Tony out of Peter’s arms, Peter just smiles. 

He hadn’t expected Michelle to take this as well as she did, hadn’t ever expected that this was how they’d have their first kid but now, Peter couldn’t imagine his life any different.

* * *

Peter had expected the questions, the weird looks in the grocery aisle and the confusion on people’s face when Tony would call Michelle his mother. 

Tony was the spitting image of Peter, his soft curls growing more wavy the older he got. Peter knew the assumptions about who she was to Tony bothered Michelle, the whispered conversations before bed about how they would approach that conversation - and what they could say.

“He’s going to want to know, Peter.” Michelle murmured, even as Peter kissed her forehead - bringing her closer to him. Michelle relented, burrowing her head in his chest as Peter wrapped his arms around her. 

“And we’ll tell him. We’ll tell him that Felicia loved him and that she gave birth to him but MJ, _ you _ are his mother.”

“Peter…”

“_ You _ are the one who’s been there when he’s been sick. _ You _ are the one who spent hours trying to find a preschool for him that will actually challenge him. _ You _ are the one he cries for, MJ, the only person that he knows as his mom.”

“But Peter. Felicia’s…”

“Felicia’s _ gone _, MJ.” Peter swallows down something in his throat, thankful that Tony was asleep, was still too young to overhear them, that he seemingly hadn’t inherited any of Peter’s powers.

It was a fear that Peter had had, in the beginning - piled on with all the usual terror of becoming a parent seemingly overnight. But even as Tony grew, looking more and more like Peter everyday, he could at least be thankful that Tony hadn’t inherited that. 

“We’ll tell him, whenever he asks. Whatever he wants to know. But Felicia’s gone, MJ. You are the only mother he’s ever known.” Peter holds her tighter, willing for her to understand. 

“You’re an _ amazing _ mom, MJ. Tony’s so lucky to have you.” He presses a soft kiss to her curls, closing his eyes. 

“_ I’m _ lucky to have you.” 

Michelle says nothing, Peter wondering if she’d fallen asleep until a few moments pass - her muffled voice breaking the silence. 

“Damn straight.”

Peter laughs, adjusting to their position until he can look into her eyes - seeing the tears in them. Peter kisses her, her lips salty from the tears but Peter doesn’t care. 

He meant it, every word. He loved Michelle, loved Tony - and knew that even if Michelle hadn’t originally chosen this life, that she’d thrown herself into it headfirst - taking on motherhood like a second skin. 

As the kiss deepens, Peter moving so that he was hovering over her - he knew that even if Michelle had joked with him, that her fears wouldn’t be solved in one night or with any one word. 

But Peter, who loved her more than he could ever express, decided that he would spend a lifetime showing it to her - committing to himself as their kisses started to become more purposeful, that he would show this truth to her until his dying breath.

That Michelle wasn’t just the best mother, the best wife, the best partner - but the love of his life. 

* * *

NOW

As Peter walks with Tony back up the stairs, trailing not far behind him, he thinks of the first time they’d told Tony about Felicia and how difficult that conversation had been. 

When they’d first gotten the paternity test - an afterthought, after Peter had laid his eyes on Tony, knowing in his gut that the boy in front of him was his son - Peter had been so concerned about Tony inheriting his powers, wondered if the bite that had changed him somehow ran through his son’s veins. 

It hadn’t, as far as they could tell - Peter breathing a sigh of relief with each passing year. He never wanted Tony to feel the burden of responsibility, the need and desire to solve the world’s problems with everything he had. 

Peter should've guessed that his son - spider-powers or not - wouldn’t be able to escape that feeling. 

Tony was smart, smarter than he had any right to be according to Michelle. He’d tinker with his toys, breaking them apart and putting them back together - only better and in ways that made even Peter blink in surprise. 

It was something he’d whisper to Michelle, conversations before bed about how they could nurture Tony, encourage him as best they could with their limited salary and means. 

But that did nothing for Tony’s raving curiosity, his inner desire to push himself further and harder - in ways Peter wished he could just kiss away, tickle and joke like he did those first few years he’d come into their lives. 

When Tony had first asked about why Michelle looked different, how she could be his mom if they looked nothing alike, Peter had waited - watching as Michelle just invited him into her arms and told him, in the gentle way she always spoke to Tony, that while he hadn’t come from her belly, that he’d been born from her heart. Tony had understood, even then that Michelle was telling him something important - something that Peter knew stuck with him long after the conversation had shifted. 

There was never any grand conversation, never any moment of unloading - just gentle touches and reminders, nudges that Tony had been born to a woman named Felicia, a woman Peter had dated long ago. 

A woman who had died from a cancer that Peter still couldn’t make sense of, a nagging thought in the back of his mind that he hadn’t heard about her funeral - even if he knew that he and Felicia hadn’t been that close to begin with.

But whatever doubts Peter had, he kept to himself - solely focused on making sure that no matter what questions Tony had, what fears arose - that Tony knew the truth.

He was loved. He was safe. Michelle and Peter loved him completely. 

But as he walked up behind his son, closing the basement door behind him - Peter remembered the first time Tony had questioned not his love for them, but of the truth of what Felicia had done. 

* * *

SEVEN YEARS AGO

  
“Dad?”

“Hmm?” Peter looked up from his desk, shoulders tensing at the look on Tony’s face.

He could tell there was a question brewing behind those brown eyes, a serious one from the way Tony wrung his hands together. 

Tony was so much like Peter, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders when he had no business doing so. Eight years old and Peter wondered how a child so young could look so tortured. 

Peter sat back in his chair - looking over his son in concern.

“What’s wrong, kiddo?”

Tony bites his lip, wrangles his hands together before sighing, coming over to where Peter was. 

“I’m… I was just thinking….”

“Careful, kid. Thinking is what gets you grounded.” Tony laughs half-heartedly, glancing away, Peter’s eyebrows furrowing.

“Anthony.” Tony brings his head up, biting his lip again.

“I’m… I was just wondering, about my mom. Not _ mom _ mom, but you know. The other one. The one… who gave birth to me.”

Peter freezes, wishing that Michelle hadn’t stepped out to the gym. She was so much better at this than he was, a gentleness that Peter had only seen glimpses of when they were young but had only magnified as they grew older. 

But Michelle wasn’t due to come back for at least an hour, and Tony was here - brown eyes big and searching Peter’s.

Peter lets out a low exhale, motioning for Tony to come closer to him. Tony does, leaning against the desk. He was eight now, much too old for cuddling in his own words but Peter knew that this kind of conversation would need more than words to ease any wounds. 

“What’d you want to know, kid?”

Tony looks back down to his hands, Peter’s heart breaking. 

He thought he and Michelle had done all that they could to make Tony feel loved, safe and protected. To let Tony know that his mother loved him, that Michelle could never replace her - and never wanted to. 

But Peter knew as best as anyone what it was like to live in the shadow of your parents being gone, to wrestle with parental figures who you didn’t come from - yet you knew they loved you completely. 

Peter’s own parents had died when he hadn’t been much older than Tony was, vividly remembering the day he moved in with Ben and May. They could never _ replace _ them, but they didn’t have to - filling a place in Peter’s heart that no one else could. 

It was a difficult thing to try and comprehend - to love someone as a parent while still missing the ones who you had. But Peter’s heart broke at the torment Tony was clearly going through, seeing the guilt in his face of missing someone he’d never had the chance to meet - knowing how much Tony loved Michelle. 

_ You’re really too much like me, kid. _

“I just, I mean, did she-- why didn’t she tell you about me? You know, before… ” Tony trails off, Peter’s shoulders slumping. 

“Oh kid.” He can see the tears welling up in Tony’s eyes, hands outstretched to him as Tony rushes forward, burrowing his head into Peter’s chest. 

“I don’t understand. I just don’t understand why she didn’t tell you. She died and she just, she left me.” Peter closes his eyes, wrapping his arms around his son.

How could he try and explain the unexplainable mystery that was Felicia? How could Peter try and explain that whirlwind of their romance, the foolish mistake that had led to the greatest thing in Peter’s life?

How could he try and explain to Tony that Peter still wrestled with those same questions, how years and years later he was still filled with a mix of frustrated and hurt and understanding for why Felicia had kept the biggest secret of his life from him - only telling him after she’d passed on from a quick and brutal bout of cancer - a death and a disappearance from the world that still didn’t make sense to Peter.

Sometimes Peter wondered had she hadn’t died, if Felicia would’ve ever told him the truth at all.

But Peter couldn’t share that with Tony - not now, maybe not ever.

All he really could do is be thankful - that no matter the circumstances, no matter the challenges and problems that they still faced - that he had Tony. 

“I don’t know, Tony. I don’t know.” He whispers to son, comforting him as best that he could.

Peter didn’t have all the answers, knew enough about parenting that he never would. All Peter could do - could hope, pray, believe - is that Tony knew that he was loved.

That it didn’t matter to Peter that he hadn’t been there for his birth, that he didn’t know his son had even existed until he was almost a year old.

Holding Tony tight in his arms, feeling Tony lean into the embrace, Peter thought to himself that he could only try and spend the rest of his life showing Tony how much he loved him, would protect him, would hold him for as long as he could. 

Peter hadn’t been there for the beginning.

But Peter made a promise to himself that he’d be there for Tony until the end. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a warning that while this story is already an inverted BioDad AU, it's going to be a lot weirder and a lot darker than what it may initially seem.
> 
> There's something that happens that's shocking but is taken straight from the comics. It's a storyline I've been wanting to do for awhile and something I hope, no matter how devastating, that you can enjoy <3


	2. Chapter 2

_ So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light_  
_ 'Cause oh that gave me such a fright_  
_ But I will hold as long as you like_  
_ Just promise me we'll be alright_

* * *

Peter smiled, watching Michelle and Tony go back and forth. The morning light illuminated the kitchen, chasing away the shadows and darkness that had marked Tony’s features before. But now, hearing his son’s laughter fill the kitchen - Peter was thankful in more ways than one that they both had Michelle. 

“Mom, did you get the—”

“Right here.” Michelle smiles, handing him the permission slip that Tony had undoubtedly been asking for, her hand hand ruffling through his hair as Tony squawked. 

“Mom! Stop!” Peter snickered, Tony shooting him a withering look. 

“Dad, you’re supposed to be on my side.” Peter shrugs, winking as he caught Michelle’s eye. “I don’t know what to tell you, kid. You’re setting yourself up for failure if you try and argue against Michelle Jones-Parker.” 

Tony rolled his eyes, the look of it making Peter smile and Michelle laugh.

“Don’t you cut your eyes at me.”

“Sorry.” Tony said. Peter snickered, only to stop and raise his hands when Michelle looks back at him, finger raised.

“You’re a bad example, Peter Parker.” 

“Sorry, my bad.” 

It’s Tony’s turn to laugh, Michelle smiling warmly at the two of them as she poured her coffee in her to-go mug. 

“Alright, I’m off. Happy birthday, kid. Love you.” She brought a hand to Tony’s face, holding him in place while she kissed his cheek, Peter holding back another laugh as he squirmed.

“Mom!” Michelle doesn’t seem to care, squeezing his cheek once more. She walks to Peter and kisses him soundly on the lips before saying, “Bye. Love you.”

“Love you.” Peter watches after her as she walked out of the kitchen, his eyes going back to meet Tony who was looking back at him expectantly. The joy on his face was gone, Peter getting the distinct impression that now that Michelle had left - his mind had gone back to where Peter had found him.

It’s something he promised Tony he wouldn’t share with her but for as much as he loved Tony, this wasn’t something he would be able to keep a secret from Michelle for long. 

He’d find a way to talk to her about it later. Until then, Peter could hardly believe that the kid he hadn’t even realized when he was born was someone Peter couldn’t imagine his life without. 

Tony was _ fifteen _ \- the same age Peter had been when he became Spider-Man. He couldn’t imagine that same burden on Tony’s shoulders and would give anything to make sure that nothing like it ever would be. 

“Fifteen. How’s it feel?”

Tony looks up at Peter, a thousand emotions running behind those brown eyes before his face turns into a grin, Peter’s heart slightly breaking that even if he didn’t inherit his spider powers, that Tony already knew how to put on a mask.

“Feels great, old man.” Tony jokes, shrugging as he grabs his backpack. “Feels like a good age to get tickets for the Osborn Expo.”

Peter sighs, going to stand as Tony puts his backpack on. “We talked about this, Tony. Maybe next year—“

“Next year, it’ll be too late to compete in his Young Scientist competition. I have to be a sophomore or younger to be eligible. Come on dad, please.”

Peter bites his lip, debating whether or not he should tell Tony the truth. He and Michelle had been saving to buy him tickets for weeks, something he knew would make things tight for them in the next few months.

But Tony was a good kid. And for as smart as he was, even in the advanced science school that he was in, Peter knew that Tony was feeling anxious to do more. 

The fiddling with his toys only magnified as he got older, messing with their electronics and creating gadgets that even surprised Peter for how advanced they were. He shouldn’t have been - Peter should’ve expected that his son would be just as intelligent as he was at that age, thinking back to the days when he would scrounge around in dumpsters for web shooter parts - creating his web fluid in chemistry class and creating his own suit out of material he found on the street. 

It was foolish and naive but Peter survived - wondering how the hell he did sometimes. Tony had the same look on his face sometimes, a desire to _ do _ something for the world - something that made Peter grateful that he was limited in being “only” human though wondering if that would really limit Tony from putting himself in danger eventually. 

Peter had his own reservations about Oscorp, remembering his ill-fated trip there that had changed him in more ways than one. But Harry seemed different than his father, just as brilliant if not more compassionate - reaching out to him on more than one occasion about joining his laboratories. 

Of all the people that Tony could admire and want to learn under, Peter figured he could’ve chosen worse. But he also knew Michelle would kill him if he spoiled the surprise without her, shrugging his shoulders as he ruffled Tony’s hair just as she had before - causing Tony to whine again.

“Dad, stop!”

“We’ll talk about it after school, kay?”

Tony’s shoulder’s slump as if Peter had told him no, almost making Peter want to give in and share the surprise. But Michelle had been insistent and Peter meant what he had said earlier - it was a lesson in futility to ever try and argue against Michelle.

“Happy birthday.”

“Thanks.” Tony grumbles, Peter bringing him into a hug anyway. Tony resists for a second before wrapping his arms around Peter. He smiled as he brought his head down to his son’s, wishing that time would slow down. 

“You’re squishing me.” 

“Sorry kid, I can’t help it.” Tony looks up, Peter smiling as he looked down on him. 

“Just wish time would slow down.” 

* * *

“It’s coming along nicely, Peter.”

Peter nods, waiting for Otto as the man carefully moved the slides he was viewing, adjusting the microscope to get a better look.

“I’m glad you think so. The proteins aren’t binding as well as they should but—“

“That’s something we can save for the patent application.” Otto smiles, looking back at Peter who smiled back. “For now, this is exactly what we need.”

“You sure you don’t to collaborate on this? I got a contact in Osborn’s lab that will--”

“No.” Otto’s shift in demeanor in sharp, enough for the hairs on the back of Peter’s hair to raise, Otto composing himself even as Peter watches him carefully. “No, it’s--we’re doing novel work here, Peter. We want to be sure we keep it contained, until it’s fully tested.”

“I understand.” Peter says, still eyeing him carefully as Otto stands - Peter moving out of the way as he continues. “I just think that it’ll be better in the long run if we bring more people into this. I mean, this could be big, Dr. Octavius. Cure cancer kind of big.” 

Otto waves him off, Peter following after him as he makes his way to his own lab bench. “I’ve always been a fan of your dramatics, Peter but--”

“I’m just saying, Dr. Octavius. If we can combine what we have with the technology and resources that Osborn has then--”

“We’re not working with Osborn!” He yells, Peter freezing - eyebrows furrowing as he studies Otto. He seems just as surprised by his outburst as Peter does, quickly composing himself. 

“Sorry, I’m--I’m sorry. I’ve… I’ve not been feeling myself lately.” 

Peter purses his lips, keeping quiet. After Tony, Peter decided to make good use of his master’s degree - quitting his job at the Bugle and working more in his field. The life of a scientist wasn’t conducive to being Spider-Man, not nearly as much as being a freelance photographer - but it was consistent, stable in a way that Peter needed it to be after he became a father seemingly overnight. 

He enjoyed the work, finally putting his degree to good use. Despite Harry’s generous offers, Peter was glad that he’d finally settled into a good groove with Otto Octavius - a brilliant, if a little eccentric man that seemed committed to solving the big issues, despite the odds. His company wasn’t nearly as big as Osborn’s - no one really could compare - but it was enough for a salary that Peter could depend on and to feel good about the impact that he was making as Peter Parker. 

But Otto’s mood and attitude had shifted a lot in the past few months, giving Peter pause - wondering what could have changed the man who used to be so quiet and soft-spoken that Peter wondered if he’d ever raised his voice. He was close to Otto, as much as anyone could be with a boss that you worked well with - but Peter had enough years of experience to know that he couldn’t approach the issue without having some idea of what was wrong to begin with. 

“It’s okay.” Peter finally says, “We all have bad days.” 

Otto looks at him, his face shifting into a softer smile - looking more like the man Peter knew. “But I gather today isn’t one of those for you. It’s your son’s birthday today, isn’t it? Fourteen?”

“Fifteen.” Peter smiles, shaking his head as he runs a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe it.”

“Neither can I, Mr. Parker. You barely look older than a teenager sometimes, much less be old enough to have one.”

Peter laughs. “Tell that to my back pain, Dr. Octavius. I look young but trust me,” Peter pantomimes cracking his back, making Otto smile. “My back tells another story.” 

“If we could all have your genetics, Parker, the world would be a much healthier place.” 

Something itches in the back of Peter’s neck, but he dismisses it, laughing as he says, “But then everyone would be just as stressed and sleep-deprived as I am and trust me,” Peter smiles, seeing the glint of something in Ottos’ eyes, “No one wants to be me.”

* * *

The rest of the work day passes by quickly for Peter, fingers tapping along his desk as he texted Michelle. He’d told her over lunch where he had found Tony this morning, knowing that with the party this afternoon that they wouldn’t get much of a chance to talk until late in the night. 

Peter hated the idea of betraying Tony’s trust but as any parent could say - there were no secrets between partners. 

And Michelle was his partner - in every single way. 

The phone buzzes, Peter glancing at it to read her message only to see that she was calling, snapping a glove off to answer it. 

“Hey.”

“Hi. I got off work early so I could get the cake from Delmar’s. That old man gets crazier by the day, you know that?”

Peter laughs, rolling his chair back. “I know, but you know how much Tony misses him. Moving was good for us but it’ll be a nice surprise, having a cake from Delmar’s waiting for him.”

“You still don’t think the party’s too cheesy? He’s fifteen, Pete, not five.” 

Peter puts the phone between his shoulder and his head, taking his other glove off before going to the handwashing station. 

He starts to rinse them, shrugging only to remember that Michelle couldn’t see it. “He could’ve told us he didn’t want it. You know as well as I do that Tony doesn’t have a problem with letting his voice be heard.”

He hears Michelle laugh through the phone, smiling at the sound as he finishes washing his hands - drying them before going to hold the phone by his ear. 

“Oh trust me, that’s not something I’ll ever forget.”

They can laugh at the memory now, Peter knowing her mind was going the same place his was - to the first time Tony had ever been seriously sick. It’d been only a month into living with the two of them, when they were still in that old and small apartment. Tony had cried for hours, to the point where Peter was panicking and Michelle was completely flustered - something Peter had never expected to ever see. 

It’d been an ear infection, something they’d only found out after a hurried trip to the emergency room - the bill something that Peter didn’t regret paying, even if it cut into their meager savings. For all the problems that he faced as Spider-Man, that night was the first time that Peter reasoned that he ever truly felt fear - wondering that if he’d found out he had a son only for him to lose him, panicking at seeing Tony’s screams turn into whimpers, involuntarily shuddering at the memory of how still and listless he’d been into the night. 

Tony had been fine, after some antibiotics and rest - but the terror that had gripped Peter even then was a feeling he was still intimately aware of, something that May had tried to tell him would never go away. 

A feeling that he would do anything to protect Tony, would have given anything to take that pain away from him. It’s something that Peter still feels, knowing that even if he was fifteen - that Peter would forever see Tony as the small, wide-eyed child he’d been the first time he’d ever laid eyes on him. 

“You still there?  
“Yeah, yeah, I’m here.” Peter replies, glancing at the clock. “I can head out now, I’ll make up the time later. Otto doesn’t mind.”

“You have a much kinder boss than I do, Pete.” Michelle says through the phone, Peter going to grab his coat. “I’ll be home in fifteen, let me know when you leave. _ Don’t _ swing and text.”

Peter laughs, rolling his eyes even as he shrugs his coat on. “You act like we’re still teenagers, MJ. I’m always careful.”

“You’re always an idiot is what you are.” Michelle says, even if Peter can hear the smile through the phone. He loved her, had loved her since he was sixteen - would always love her, until he took his last breath. 

“Love you. See you soon.”

“Love you too.” 

* * *

The party - if it could really be called that - is a hit. Peter wondered if Michelle was right, if the idea of a birthday party at home with his parents was really too cheesy for him, knowing that Tony was far more popular than Peter had ever been when he was his age. 

It was something that baffled him and yet was grateful for - that even if Tony was like him in so many ways, that he hadn’t inherited his social awkwardness. Tony was smarter than most of the kids in his gifted school, yet seemed to make friends anywhere he went - and always had. Yet despite this, he’d insisted that the only people he wanted for his birthday party were James and Virginia. 

He could relate, he’d only hung out with Ned and Michelle when he was Tony’s age - but for as much as he loved the two of them, Peter hadn’t been nearly as well-liked as Tony was. Tony had a confidence about him, a certainty about himself and his place in the world that Peter couldn’t have dreamed of having at his age - one that Peter wondered on more than one occasion where he got it from. 

A part of him - a quiet one - wondered if this was some innate quality of Felicia’s, remembering the fire and passion of their summer fling and how unashamedly she approached life. The more rational part of him argued that even if it could be attributed to some nascent genetic component - that in reality, Tony had something that Peter never did. 

Tony had stability - had never known loss in the same way that Peter had. Peter didn’t remember much of his own parents, but vividly remembered the day both Ben and May died - Ben from his own carelessness at fifteen and May many years later, when Tony had still been in elementary school. May had given him a home filled with as much love as possible, one that he tried so hard to emulate with Michelle for Tony.

But the losses in Peter’s life was a burden that he still carried, something that still marked him in a way that had never marked Tony - something Peter hopes never would. 

He pushes those thoughts out of his head as he watches Tony, Michelle sidling up to him as they watched him talk with Virginia. 

“You think he’s going to finally ask her out?”

“My bet’s on her making the move.” Michelle nudges him with her elbow, winking. “Parker men have a habit of waiting around too long.” 

“Hey,” Peter laughs, bringing a hand around her as Michelle leans into him, “I was absolutely going to ask you out.” Peter tilts his head. “Eventually.”

She laughs, putting her head on his shoulder as he holds her closer. “You think we should tell him about the Osborn Expo now or later?”

Peter purses his lips, seeing the way his son’s eyes lit up as he talked with Virginia - trying to remember the reason why Tony called her Pepper, some inside joke that neither he nor Michelle had been privy to. It was a look that Peter recognized well, remembering what it was like to be his age, flirting with Michelle. 

As excited as Tony would be about the Expo, Peter knew it could wait.

“Nah, we’ll tell him when his friends are gone. Speaking of, where’s James?” 

“Harpy had some kind of surprise for him, James went to help bring it in.” Michelle offered.

Peter laughs. “I think he calls him _ Happy _, not Harpy, babe.”

“Happy, Harpy, whatever, I can’t keep up with his weird nicknames.” Michelle lifts her head up, smiling at Peter. 

“He’s your kid, alright.”

Peter moves so that he’s standing behind her, nestling his chin on her shoulder - kissing her before saying, “He’s _ our _ kid.” 

* * *

Tony was predictably excited, over the moon if not a little annoyed that he and Michelle had kept the tickets a secret from him. 

“Why the hell did you keep this a secret from me?”

“Tony.” 

“Sorry, just,” Tony shakes his head excitedly, smiling at the both of them. “You’re not cool parents in the slightest but this?” He brings the tickets up, “This bumps you up to being like, twelve percent cooler.”

“You hear that babe? _ Twelve _ percent cooler.” Michelle gasps, putting a hand to her chest even as Tony groans. 

“Mom--”

“No, I’m having a moment. I am _ twelve _ percent cooler than I was before. Give me a second to bask in this new phase of life I’m in.” Peter laughs even as Tony rolls his eyes again. 

“Why are you both so weird?”

“Ask yourself, kid. If we’re your parents and you think we’re weird, what does that make you?”

Tony thinks for a moment, Peter seeing the smirk on his face. “Adopted.”

“You little shit.” 

Peter had laughed with Tony at the time, Michelle had too - but later in bed, just before Peter was drifting off to sleep, he heard Michelle’s voice ring out. 

“Do you think we made a mistake?”

“Hmm?” Peter asks, feeling his tenuous grasp on what was real and was a dream fading as he held her in his arms. 

“Not telling Tony more about Felicia. Not trying to find out more about her. Did we… did we make a mistake?”

Peter’s eyes snap open, immediately feeling awake even as he tried to school his own emotions - keeping his grip on Michelle firm even as she glanced up to him.

He can see the vulnerability in her eyes but also the question, Peter’s mind going back to Tony’s joke from before. Michelle hadn’t officially adopted him, there really hadn’t been any need to with Felicia dead and Peter marrying her. But it was something they had talked about over the years, the two of them - just as they had also talked about having more kids. 

It was something they had wanted - in another life. But the way Tony had come into their lives, the quick adjustment and complicated way that he’d arrived had made talks of having any other kids get pushed to the back burner over the years.

When Peter had pushed the question again further, Michelle had been resistant - her sole focus on Tony and how that would make him feel, remembering what her older sister had felt after Michelle had been born. Peter knew that had led to some unresolved tension - her older sister's adoption being a point of contention between them, the resentment Michelle had felt from her even if Peter knew her parents had done their best to mediate those problems.

It's something that Peter knew they could figure out too, but in the end - he trusted her.

Michelle was Tony’s mother in every way that mattered, but Michelle knew what that was like - to grow up with a sibling who didn’t share both of your birth parents, and even if Michelle and her sister had a good relationship now - it wasn’t something she wanted to risk with Tony. 

Peter hadn’t pushed it, knowing Tony was a handful enough - but it’s that reminder that caused his heart to break, wondering how Michelle could still question whether or not any choice that they had made about Tony was somehow the wrong one. 

They weren’t perfect parents - no one ever was. But Peter knew that he and Michelle had tried their hardest to create a good life for Tony, one that he refused to allow Michelle to second-guess. 

“No. I don’t.”

“That’s the third time he’s gone down to the basement this month, Pete. He’s a teenager, he’s curious. I’m honestly surprised it took him this long to want to push to know more about her.” Michelle whispers, Peter hearing the steadiness of her voice. 

Michelle was practical, she always had been - Peter thinking to himself that even if Tony wasn’t blood related to her, that he’d inherited some of her best qualities anyway. 

Tony was a fixer, a doer - seeing problems and doing his best to figure out a solution for them. If his misguided sense of responsibility to use his creations came from Peter, his desire to change things in the first place was wholly a result of Michelle. 

“We can talk to him together, if you think it’s best. But you’re his mom, MJ. You always will be.”

“I know.” She says, Peter only half-believing her even as she continued. “But he’s curious. And as much as I know he loves me, I _ know _ he wants to know more about Felicia. And I don’t think it’s something he’s going to want to talk to me about.” 

She turns to face him, Peter’s eyes adjusting in the darkness to see her looking at him. “Will you talk to him?”

Peter brings a hand to her face, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb. “‘Course, MJ.” 

Michelle searches his face for a moment before finding whatever it was she was looking for, nodding her head as she leaned forward to kiss him. Peter brings her closer to him, Michelle kissing him softly again before saying, “We raised a good kid, Pete.”

Peter smiles, holding Michelle tight.

He’ll have to figure out a way to talk to Tony, knowing that Michelle was right - even if Peter wondered how the hell he’d even begin to start that conversation. But bringing her even closer to him, Peter pushes it away for the time being - choosing to live completely in the moment, reveling in the day that his son was born and holding the love of his life in his arms. 

Peter closes his eyes, feeling Michelle’s own arms wrap around his waist. 

“Yeah, we really did.” He finally answers, pressing a kid down to her forehead before he sighs, hearing both Michelle’s and Tony’s heartbeats - the soft and steady rhythm lulling Peter off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have stared at this chapter for three weeks. I am not ready for the next one. You are not ready for the next one. None of us are ready. But maybe posting this will _make_ me ready.


	3. Chapter 3

_ So lead me back   
_

_ Turn south from that place _

_ And close my eyes from my recent disgrace _

_ 'Cause you know my call _

_ We'll share my all _

_ Now children come and they will hear me roar _

* * *

Peter means to have the conversation with Tony, about Felicia and about his life - even if he can’t quite figure out how to bring it up. But then time starts to get away from him.

And Otto starts to act… stranger. 

It had been a sneaking suspicion at first, an idea that there was something else going on. Something that Peter couldn’t quite figure out. 

The research was going well, better than either of them had expected. Otto has always been a little eccentric and hyper focused - almost manic in his attention to detail.

But now it seemed as if he had a keen interest in Peter beyond the project, asking him questions about Michelle and of Tony - questions that Peter obliges him with even if he starts to wonder what the purpose of them is.

His senses ring - growing louder and louder as the weeks pass, but Peter dismisses it. Thinking that maybe they were going haywire as he got older.

Later - in the fleeting moments before his life ended - Peter would regret that, wish that he had listened sooner. Wished that he hadn’t ignored the signs.

But he didn’t. 

* * *

“Dad. Dad. Dad.”

Peter laughed, following after Tony as he rushed forward - seeing the how wide-eyed he looked as he gaped at the exhibit. For being fifteen, the excitable way he walked, fingers tapping against his side and almost vibrating with excitement, it reminded Peter that Tony was still young - reminiscent of what _ Peter _ had been like when he was a teenager. 

“Do you _ see _ this? Telepathically linked gorillas, communicating their thoughts and actions for us to understand? I mean come _ on, _dad. Tell me this wasn’t a good idea.”

“This wasn’t a good idea.” Peter shrugs, smirking at how visibly Tony rolls his eyes - leaning down on the balcony edge as they examined the exhibit. 

“You’re the worst.” Tony sighed, shaking his head as Peter laughed again. 

“Five minutes ago you said I was the best dad on the planet.” 

“Five minutes ago I was young and stupid. I’ve grown since then. Seen more of the world.” Tony remarked, Peter winking at him.

“Gorillas who talk about bananas are the world?”

Tony gives him a look, before deadpanning. “_ Telepathically linked, gorillas _.”

Peter went to ruffle Tony’s hair, Tony squawking at the gesture as he always did until he turned around, completely enraptured by some other exhibit. 

The Expo was interesting to Peter in a lot of ways - a mix of a conference and a showcase, where people funded by the Osborn grants had the chance to show off the innovations they had been working on. 

Whatever experimentation that Norman had previously done, resulting in the bite that gave Peter powers years and years ago - Harry was nothing like him, a more forward thinking man that looked to the future and saw possibilities rather than things that the world needed to fear. 

Harry had tried unsuccessfully for years to get Peter to join his company, a fact that no doubt fueled the paranoia that Octavius had about Peter visiting the Expo when he’d mentioned it. 

Peter scratched the back of his neck, even the thought of Octavius sending off a lingering warning that he just attributes to the amount of sensory overload happening around him. He had to figure out what was going on with him, the brilliant man that Peter had committed to working with years ago becoming increasingly more difficult to work with in ways that Peter hadn’t anticipated. 

Tony brings him out of his thoughts as he always does, rushing back to Peter with such exuberance that it makes him laugh. 

“Dad. Dad. Dad.”

“Tony, calm down.” Peter laughs harder, the glee on Tony’s face so overwhelming as he says, “I can’t. I _ can’t _, dad. This is the coolest thing I’ve ever been to. Did you know that—“

“Well well well, what do we have here?” Peter turns to hear the familiar voice, the whispers around them getting louder as Peter smiles and Tony’s face breaks out somehow into an even larger grin.

“Harry. Good to see you, man.” Peter extends a hand out, Harry shaking it firmly before turning to Tony.

“This can’t be Tony? Damn, Pete we’re getting old.” 

Tony’s eyes almost bug out before reverting towards a more muted expression, the energy that Peter just saw being staved down as his son straightens his shoulders and extends his own hand out.”

“Hello Mr. Osborn, it’s nice to see you again.” 

Peter holds back a laugh as Harry flicks his eyes towards Tony before returning it, marveling at how quickly Tony could switch gears from the excited fifteen-year-old to someone completely different - as if Peter was getting glimpses of who Tony would be as an adult.

Tony had always been mature for his age, a product of his precociousness and intelligence. But it still surprised Peter to see it in action, wrestling with the idea that Tony was growing up and that, as Harry said, they were getting old.

“Nice to see you too, Mr. Parker.” Harry grins, shaking Tony’s hand swiftly before turning to Peter. “I hear your son is interested in the Young Scientist’s program.”

Before Peter can answer, Tony pushes forward - straightening his shoulders again as he said, “I am, Mr. Osborn. I think I could be an excellent addition to your company and if given the chance, would be—“

“I think Harry’s got enough on his plate, kid.” Peter interjects, catching Tony’s steely gaze as Harry laughs.

“Never enough not to hear about something brilliant. You’ll have to submit your stuff like everyone else but,” he nods towards Peter, “if your dad doesn’t mind, I’d love to hear more about what it is you’re interested in. The winner isn’t just up to me and I can’t play favorites.” 

Harry winks towards Tony like he’s in on a secret, Peter watching as he continues. “But we can always work something out. Young Scientist winner or not, I’m always looking for new talent for the intern pool.”

Tony immediately turns to Peter, a mixture of pleading and determination written all over his face. Peter sighs, glancing from him to Harry. 

Harry knew what he was doing - a not so subtle push for Peter to reconsider his offers about working more with his company, knowing him by now that he wasn’t anything like his father.

It was still a dirty move to use his son, one that Peter doesn’t appreciate in the slightest. But the look in Tony’s eyes convinced him, nodding his head slightly as Tony turns back to Harry - the excitability he had before returning in full force.

“I have _ so _many ideas, Mr. Osborn. You’re not going to regret this.”

Harry puts a hand on Tony’s shoulder, glancing behind to Peter as he smiles.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

* * *

“It sounds like an excellent opportunity for him, Pete.” Michelle whispers, turning down the bed as Peter comes in from the bathroom - brushing his teeth as he leans against the doorway.

“I know.” He says, the words garbled from the toothpaste in his mouth. “It’s just gonna give Harry,” Peter leans back into the bathroom to spit in the sink before saying, “it’s gonna give him the wrong impression.”

“That you believe in your son and want the best for him?” Michelle asks, Peter snickering before rinsing his mouth out again, putting the toothbrush in and waking back into the bedroom.

“That this is somehow a concession, that I’ll consider switching to Oscorp.” He replies, going over to his side of the bed and slipping in under the covers. 

Michelle’s already underneath them, bracing her head on her hand as she looks back at him - Peter sighing as he rolls over to look at her. She studies him for a moment before saying, “You were already saying that Otto’s been… eccentric lately. More so than usual. Would a career change be such a bad idea?”

Peter puts an arm behind his head, not meeting her gaze while he thinks.

She wasn’t wrong - the two weeks that had passed since they’d gone to the Expo only increasing Otto’s paranoia - in a way that not only set of Peter’s spider-senses but his regular ones, baffled why the man was acting the way that he was.

As if Peter was going to betray him, something that he can’t make sense of. 

Harry had made good on his promise, listening to Tony at the Expo. While he’d been in second place for the Young Scientist competition, some Wakandan transfer student winning the top prize, Harry and his team had reached out to Peter personally about Tony applying for the intern program - an opportunity for him to gain the kind of lab experience he wanted and helping his future college applications in a way that neither Peter nor Michelle could really afford.

It didn’t escape Peter either, how much moving to Oscorp would help them - for Tony in the immediate future but also financially, sighing again as he thought of how he was _ still _paying off his student loans, something he didn’t want Tony to limit himself.

He liked the work he did with Octavius, even with the man’s oddities seemingly growing as time went on. And even if Harry seemed reasonable and would likely allow Peter to work on teams that were similar, Peter wouldn’t be his own boss - not at first, subject to the whims and interests of a board of trustees.

It nagged at Peter, his pride conflicting with his desire to want to give Tony the best that he could. Peter pushes it away for now, even if he got the sense that there was a timer running out on his decision - one that would only make sense in hindsight, the kind of hindsight he wouldn’t get to have.

“We can talk about it more after your trip.” Peter finally replies, pushing a curl back as she smiles. “Why do you have to go again?”

Michelle smirks before saying, “The civil war in Sokovia is heating up. Johnson wants eyes on the ground.”

Peter leans forward, bringing a hand to her waist as she moves closer to him. “But why do they have to be _ your _ eyes?” 

Michelle rolls her eyes, inches away from his face, Peter’s hands mindlessly tracing along her back. “We talked about this, Pete. This is good, for me. For us.”

“I know.” He says, his eyes searching her face. “I’m just gonna miss you.”

“I’ll be gone a week, you won’t even notice.” 

Peter snorts, rolling his eyes as she leans in to kiss him. “I doubt that.” He says when she leans back, holding her closer as her own eyes close.

Michelle usually hated cuddling, Peter’s mutation causing his body temperature to skyrocket. But she must miss him already, anticipating what was to come even if Peter would later think she couldn’t have known, allowing him to hold her closer - Peter burying his head into her hair as she brings an arm around him, slipping a leg between is until they’re intertwined.

“I love you.” Peter murmurs into her hair, Michelle sighing as she says, “I know.”

He laughs, leaning back with a mischievous grin on his face. “What time’s your flight again?”

“Peter, you’re awful about waking up on time. Go to sleep.” She says, eyes still closed as Peter presses a kiss to her forehead.

“But I miss you already.” He whispers into her hair, kissing alongside her cheek and down to her neck. 

“Peter…”

“You can sleep on the plane.” He says, voice low his kisses become more intentional, knowing he’s won when her hand snakes along his back.

“I hate you.” He laughs into her neck, hearing her contented sigh as he continues to leave open-mouth kisses on her neck, whispering again. 

“You’re going to miss me.” 

Michelle gives something like a snort, only for it to be cut off when his hands begin to wander.

Peter didn’t think of what he was saying at the time, too focused on his wife and the idea of how long a week would feel without her by his side.

He didn’t realize at the time how true that would be.

Or how Michelle would later cherish the memory of what would end up being their last night together. 

* * *

“Tony, it’s time to go.” Peter yells, frowning down on his phone screen.

It’s a news alert, the third time this week that someone had been robbed - not being able to bring himself to regret staying home with Michelle and Tony on her last night before she left, but anticipating that the next week would give him to focus more on the problem at hand.

He’d heard whispers of something happening in the city, of a masked vigilante that was stealing artifacts from supposedly highly protected places. 

It didn’t escape Peter that all the places that this vigilante was stealing from were linked to crime families, something nagging at him in the back of his mind that there was something that he was missing. 

But he pushed it away for now, hearing Tony come down the stairs and holding back a yawn.

“Mom left?” Tony asked, Peter nodding as he pours coffee into a to-go mug. 

She’d been running late, just as she had told Peter she would but in the end, neither of them seemed to mind. 

Michelle was right, the trip _ would _be good - for her career, for their respective incomes, the out of town reporting assignments that she was taking more of because Tony was older paying more than her regular salary.

Peter poured some creamer in his coffee, a pang shooting through him at the idea that for as much as he was being selfish about his own career that Michelle didn’t think twice about it - the prospect of advancing pushing her forward motivating her but also thinking ahead, the trips that separated them giving each other more of a financial cushion. 

It _ was _ selfish of him, to hold onto his role with Otto - even if the freedom that he had in doing his work with him also gave him flexibility with Spider-Man duties, Tony rushing past him reminding him of what he needed to check out tonight.

“Hey kiddo, I’m gonna be late tonight. You can have the lasagna for dinner or mom left some cash for pizza if you—“

“I’m not twelve, dad.” Tony said, Peter catching the annoyed roll of his eyes. “I can feed myself when I get home from school.”

Peter laughs. “I know, I just want to be sure—“

“That I’m safe. I’m fine, dad promise.” Tony grins, grabbing a protein bar out of the pantry before saying, “I was thinking of heading over to Happy’s anyway, after school.” 

There’s nothing in his tone to indicate anything abnormal and yet something twinges in Peter’s heart all the same, noting how calm Tony was trying to be - registering the stutter of his heart. 

Tony was hiding something, but what - Peter couldn’t decipher. 

He bites his lip, debating whether he should press on it only for his phone to start buzzing - a notification from Otto that he had to get to the office immediately.

“Okay well,” Peter says, glancing at the screen before putting it away, the ringing of his senses starting to flare up as he says, “Just text me and let me you’re okay alright?”

“_ Yes _, dad.” Tony replies again, this time walking towards the door ahead of him.

“Hey whoa, wait. You forgetting something?”

Tony looks back and raises an eyebrow, the look of it making Peter want to laugh as he asks, “What?”

“A hug for your old man?”

Tony sighs, annoyed but there’s something that pushes Peter forward - a nudging that tells him this is important, a feeling that he can’t explain though Tony starts to protest.

“Dad, come on. I’m gonna be late—“

But Peter ignores it, rushing forward and bringing Tony into a tight hug - one that he fights for a second before melting into it, bringing his arms around Peter’s waist.

“I love you, Tony. You know that right?” Peter murmurs into his hair, something constricting in his chest - contributing it to the reminder that Tony was getting older and not to the low sense of danger creeping in the back of his mind.

“Of course you do, old man.” Tony scoffs only for Peter to hold him tighter.

“Kid.” It’s said quietly, enough that Tony seems to register that this isn’t the moment for teasing - a feeling that Peter can’t explain. 

“I love you too, dad.”

Tony hugs him tighter too, feeling the moment stretch on for what feels like infinity only for him to loosen when Peter’s phone goes off again, bringing him out of the embrace and putting his hands on Tony’s shoulders.

“I’ll see you tonight alright? Don’t be out too late.”

Tony smiles, Peter somehow seeing the little face he’d first laid eyes on all those years ago and the man that Tony would eventually become as he does.

“I won’t. Scout’s honor.” Tony smirks, Peter finally letting him go as he walks to the door.

Peter needs to go to work, his phone buzzing again but he’s frozen - watching as Tony turns around and turns his head back, smiling once more.

“Love you.” Tony leaves, closing the door behind him - the brownstone feeling emptier when he does, the feeling he can’t explain churning in Peter’s gut as he does.

In his final moments, Peter would run through that morning over - wondering what he’d missed. Wishing that he could go back, to kiss Michelle longer and to hold Tony tighter.

But he didn’t know that yet - just letting the air out his lungs as he looked around their home, quiet and alone - the last time he would ever be there, though none of them had known it. 

Peter’s phone buzzes once more, going to grab his coffee and back towards the door before stopping - seeing a picture of the three of them before he leaves.

Peter smiles, tightens the grip on his coffee and his keys. 

“Love you too.”


End file.
